Published: Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 1, 2013 at 6:05 p.m.

When Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933, a young Hans Kahn saw the writing on the wall.

Kahn, a Jew, lived through the ugly segregation as a kid. Jews weren't allowed to swim in certain pools or eat in certain places.

The discrimination, however, really sunk in hours before Kahn was to compete against Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics. Hitler discovered Kahn was a Jew and two hours before he was set to compete in the long jump, Kahn said, German officials informed him that he wouldn't be allowed to compete. He was removed from the team and the premises.

Kahn, who now lives in Arden, was devastated.

“That's the most disappointing experience of my life,” he said Friday morning.

Kahn, now 93 and living at Ardenwoods, recalls the memory vividly. He was a vibrant 17-year-old who was ready to compete for his country. Kahn and the other German athletes had spent nearly two years in isolation preparing for the Summer Olympics, which was hosted by Germany that year.

He ran six miles to the new stadium in Berlin, jumped rope for an hour, ran 10 laps around the stadium and only then was allowed to practice his long jumps.

“We had very little to do with the outside world at the time,” he recalled. “There was a lot of pressure on each athlete.”

That pressure, however, didn't measure up to the weight of disappointment he felt during his 600-mile journey home to Stuttgart.

In the next year, Kahn graduated high school and attempted architecture school, but his freedoms were limited. Hitler wasn't going to allow a Jewish architect to function creatively in Germany, Kahn said, and he knew what he had to do.

By then, the Jewish population was disappearing. Kahn says people around him were murdered by the government because of their Jewish backgrounds.

“Quite a few people committed suicide,” he added.

For Kahn, it was time to leave the country.

“I had no choice,” he said. “I didn't want to end up in a concentration camp.”

Kahn's two grandmothers perished in concentration camps. With the help of his stepmother, Ellen Beck, Kahn and his brother, Peter, plotted to leave Germany. They showed up at the American Consulate in Germany and quickly realized they weren't the only people ready to leave.

Beck, who didn't leave, had a plan to save the lives of her two stepsons. Beck bribed the custodian who cleaned the American Consulate offices and asked him to move the boys' application to the top. The plan worked.

Ten days later, on Nov. 16, 1937, Kahn had made his way to the French coast, boarded a ship and was on his way to New York City.

He arrived in New York with $10 in his pocket. Hitler didn't allow Jews to leave Germany with anything more than that amount, Kahn remembers. He also arrived with no knowledge of the English language. Two women tried to teach him some of the language on the seven-day journey to America, but it wasn't enough.

In his first two years in America, he would purchase the New York Times daily and check words in a translation dictionary, teaching himself English.

“It wasn't easy, I'll tell you,” he said of adapting without knowing the language. “Every day I learned a new word.”

Nonetheless, Kahn immersed himself in American culture. He was no longer a German.

“Once I left, that was it,” he said. “From then on I was an American.”

He eventually settled in New Jersey where, despite not being a citizen, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He remained stateside for the four years he served during World War II. During that time, he earned a degree from Ohio State University in engineering and earned his United States citizenship.

He was discharged and returned to New Jersey. Before he was drafted, he was basically a dishwasher at a chemical company, Kahn says. After the war, he returned as a chemist. Through the GI Bill, he earned another degree at Seton Hall University in chemistry.

After that, he lived all over the country from New Jersey to California, working as a chemical engineer before retiring to the Asheville area 15 years ago. Kahn has lived in Ardenwoods for the last three years.

But even now, nearly 80 years later, Kahn recalls the heartbreak of not being an Olympic athlete. Even more than that, however, he remembers the fear that drove him away from Germany. The alternative to leaving was not one he wanted to face, as the rest of the world began to see the atrocities German Jews had to live with under Hitler.

<p>When Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933, a young Hans Kahn saw the writing on the wall. </p><p>Kahn, a Jew, lived through the ugly segregation as a kid. Jews weren't allowed to swim in certain pools or eat in certain places.</p><p>The discrimination, however, really sunk in hours before Kahn was to compete against Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics. Hitler discovered Kahn was a Jew and two hours before he was set to compete in the long jump, Kahn said, German officials informed him that he wouldn't be allowed to compete. He was removed from the team and the premises.</p><p>Kahn, who now lives in Arden, was devastated.</p><p>“That's the most disappointing experience of my life,” he said Friday morning.</p><p>Kahn, now 93 and living at Ardenwoods, recalls the memory vividly. He was a vibrant 17-year-old who was ready to compete for his country. Kahn and the other German athletes had spent nearly two years in isolation preparing for the Summer Olympics, which was hosted by Germany that year.</p><p>He ran six miles to the new stadium in Berlin, jumped rope for an hour, ran 10 laps around the stadium and only then was allowed to practice his long jumps.</p><p>“We had very little to do with the outside world at the time,” he recalled. “There was a lot of pressure on each athlete.”</p><p>That pressure, however, didn't measure up to the weight of disappointment he felt during his 600-mile journey home to Stuttgart. </p><p>In the next year, Kahn graduated high school and attempted architecture school, but his freedoms were limited. Hitler wasn't going to allow a Jewish architect to function creatively in Germany, Kahn said, and he knew what he had to do. </p><p>By then, the Jewish population was disappearing. Kahn says people around him were murdered by the government because of their Jewish backgrounds.</p><p>“Quite a few people committed suicide,” he added. </p><p>For Kahn, it was time to leave the country. </p><p>“I had no choice,” he said. “I didn't want to end up in a concentration camp.”</p><p>Kahn's two grandmothers perished in concentration camps. With the help of his stepmother, Ellen Beck, Kahn and his brother, Peter, plotted to leave Germany. They showed up at the American Consulate in Germany and quickly realized they weren't the only people ready to leave. </p><p>Beck, who didn't leave, had a plan to save the lives of her two stepsons. Beck bribed the custodian who cleaned the American Consulate offices and asked him to move the boys' application to the top. The plan worked.</p><p>Ten days later, on Nov. 16, 1937, Kahn had made his way to the French coast, boarded a ship and was on his way to New York City. </p><p>He arrived in New York with $10 in his pocket. Hitler didn't allow Jews to leave Germany with anything more than that amount, Kahn remembers. He also arrived with no knowledge of the English language. Two women tried to teach him some of the language on the seven-day journey to America, but it wasn't enough.</p><p>In his first two years in America, he would purchase the New York Times daily and check words in a translation dictionary, teaching himself English. </p><p>“It wasn't easy, I'll tell you,” he said of adapting without knowing the language. “Every day I learned a new word.”</p><p>Nonetheless, Kahn immersed himself in American culture. He was no longer a German. </p><p>“Once I left, that was it,” he said. “From then on I was an American.”</p><p>He eventually settled in New Jersey where, despite not being a citizen, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He remained stateside for the four years he served during World War II. During that time, he earned a degree from Ohio State University in engineering and earned his United States citizenship.</p><p>He was discharged and returned to New Jersey. Before he was drafted, he was basically a dishwasher at a chemical company, Kahn says. After the war, he returned as a chemist. Through the GI Bill, he earned another degree at Seton Hall University in chemistry. </p><p>After that, he lived all over the country from New Jersey to California, working as a chemical engineer before retiring to the Asheville area 15 years ago. Kahn has lived in Ardenwoods for the last three years. </p><p>But even now, nearly 80 years later, Kahn recalls the heartbreak of not being an Olympic athlete. Even more than that, however, he remembers the fear that drove him away from Germany. The alternative to leaving was not one he wanted to face, as the rest of the world began to see the atrocities German Jews had to live with under Hitler. </p><p>America was a sanctuary of freedom, Kahn said. </p><p>“We were very lucky,” he added. </p><p>Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or at joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.</p>